Domestic travelers sustain Cebu tourism

CEBU, Philippines - Domestic tourism market in Cebu continues to thrive despite the declining number of international tourist arrivals brought about by the current economic crisis.

In today’s crisis, Cebu tourism industry players continue to bank on the local tourism market especially that most major foreign market is expected to further plunge this year as effects of the global economic meltdown.

In an interview with tour guides Val Alonzo and Rolando Ybañez, they both confirmed the continued influx of domestic tourists in Cebu which are mostly composed of big groups of students, corporate employees and families.

“Despite today’s crisis, kusog gihapon ang tourism diri sa Cebu (tourism in Cebu is still strong) because of domestic tourists. But even foreign tourists are still doing well, these past few weeks there have been groups of Japanese and Koreans which came over because of cheaper packages offered by tour operators and since duol ra sila nato (they are just near us),” said Alonzo.

Although it has started to lessen, educational tours in Cebu continue to bring in a number of local tourists to Cebu with high spending capacity.

“Bisa’g nagka-anam kahinay ang educational tours (even if educational tours have started to slowdown) compared to previous years, daghan gihapon moari sa Cebu (a lot still come to Cebu) especially students from high school and college institutions in the nearby provinces because Cebu has many sites that they can visit,” said Ybañez.

The tour guides noted that Cebu, among the provinces in Central Visayas is the only city with several sites that educational tours can go to such as an institution’s sister schools, industrial zones, factories and big manufacturing firms, corporate offices that is good for exposure to students.

Alonzo said that these educational tour groups are usually here for lakbay-aral programs, career orientation exposures and retreats and Cebu can offer them good sights and facilities.

Alonzo added that these educational tours are one of their regular clientele and these tours are oftentimes booked and even paid in advance.

Aside from educational tours, Alonzo said that they have also gotten a good number of big groups from corporate companies local and international for incentive trips.

Negros-based Sto. Niño Travelhouse and Tours operator Roda N. Regalado who have been bringing in a number of big educational tour groups to Cebu said in an interview that educational tours are seasonal and it usually peaks every semestral break from October to November and in the summer period from months of January to April.

She said that usually their educational tours from Negros are composed of big groups from students to teachers and does not go down to a minimum number of 50 people.

“These groups come to Cebu because there are not enough tourism spots in Negros while here they can go to several places. Usually these trips are scheduled on an annual basis,” said Regalado.

However, she noted a big difference from previous years because these educational tour groups are now starting to do cost cutting measures.

She said that if before these groups used to take planes, they now ride boats or even travel by land to cut on their transportation expenses.

“We can really feel that they are cost cutting because before some educational tour group take sidetrips to Bohol which has extra charge but now they just stick to basic tour packages but anyhow, these students who are coming over to Cebu indeed have money to spend because their parents give them ample pocket money they can use in their tour,” said Regalado.